Gas treating apparatus



June 11, 1935. c. B. GRADY 2,004,108

GAS TREATI NG APPARATUS Filed Aug. 24, 1932 59 54 I!" "LEE 2.. 58

Lv VENTOR CL BY B gage MUM/-44 i M}, 1,1! .4 TTORNE rs.

Patented June 11, 1935 eAsL'rnEArING APPARATUS Charles 1B, Grady, West 'Orange, N. J. Application August .24, 1932, .Serial No. 630,-17,5

" 7'Claims. (Cl.2,61-92.)

Thisrinvention {is ;a novel gasatreating :apparatus, typically :represented by the :conditioning (of :air or other gases by water or other .liquidasand adapted .-for variousifields aOf use, such :as house'- holdonindustrialuse. V

The invention deals with the treatment-of mm 2888 byany liquid; and mayabe considered in. its

ireverse aspect .since, in-some cases, :a change in the liquid may occur such \as enriching it .-by materials: removedfrom :t-hegases. 1'he;gen- -eral ,object of the invention is -to provide saggas (treating-apparatus :of substantial "efliciency and convenience :of operation and :control. A ifurther .object is to provide suchan apparatus which will l-be inexpensive 1015 construction and reliable; in

use. The utility may -relateto the cleaning of gases, for @example .by ,removing :dust or other solidsaand soluble gases or fumes, from :air or -from furnace gases or {the dike. The invention .is :alsonseful for ,humidif ying or moistening ,gas :or ,air, as in ventilation in dwellings, .in which case the treatmentbf :air is by water. ,Tlieimprovement may :also be fused for -the cooling 10f air :or gases, or by suitable provision :for liquid heating, it may be used -forthe=warrning=ef gases, .-for {example :for swarming -air in dwellings 'in the woldseason, under thermostat control; Byproviding a suitable :agent the 8ipparatus .also 1may :be used for distributing :medicatiomdn [theti'orm (of vapor, for example by ieeding pine :needle oil -tothe liquid Joy which the-gas or air is treated.

=Qther and aturther :objeots and-advantages rof the invention "will :be explained in rthethereinatter following'adescription of an illustrative embodipment thereof or will abe understood to 111105610011- versant with the subject. To -the attainment of .suoh :objeets :and advantages the invention con- .sists in the novel gas [treating iapparatusiand ,the novel {features-10f combination, arrangement .and -.c onstr,uction zherein illustrated :or idescribed.

Inztheaccompanying drawing Figure :1 may be described, as :a vfront elevation-of an apparatus embodying the present invention, :thesamepartly broken away to show interior construction.

Fig. 2 is alright v hand :elevation and section of :the apparatus taken on the iline 2-4 of-Fig. .l.

zFig. i3 :is a top-plan view with a showing of the interior wants by successive breaking awa of t enclosing :narts. Fig. =4 :is. a right hand elevation and section itakemon ithe lined-'4 of Fig. 2-1.

#Eig. 5 "is a detail front elevation and section sure for gas treating purposes, with :a liquidvves- .sel :in :the lower :part land ::a ,gas -passage in the upper part of ithe enclosure .and a device .or fan ior maintaining :gas flow into and ,throughithe passagezabove .theliquidzand {thence .toidischarge; the znovelty. m :the ;pr.esent :invention ,lying partly 55 in ,theimeans :ior :hringin :about intimate contact between .thelflowing .gasesiand'ithetreatingdiquid, .anddn other fieatin'es as :described. :Ihe invenmien is "herein-:s'howmas zembodiedsinzan apparatus the itreatment of airfloy water to condition l0 'ithaairifor supply tothemoomszofldwellingsofiices :andsthe like, itibeing understood that the :same principles can be otherwise Fused, for example for conditioning air in closed automobiles or other v:ehicles :during travel thereof. iI'he drawings indicate enclosure cor box :l-I resting :for sexamble :upon :a shelf rm? madiator M ziidj aoent ito :a "window, mfwvhichiiheisash :[3 :is shown raised and zthe spaceiunderdlhesashmlosedlbyxa fiber ortother window board 5 anerturedfor the intake 25 do cheadesoribed,

The enclosure H embodies a liquid vessel lBri-n :its zlower :part, jiquid being shown occupying the vessel substantially to. its :maximum :level, and aboveithe ,liquid .a gas passage, flue-or :space 1-! e thhrough which .air :or gas ifiows in :the -:dir,ection aQf-lihe arrow to be discharged at an outlet I28 :shown rproteotivel-yicovered by agguard or netting m, by which the conditioned air-is discharged :into theroom,-:or:f'rom whichthe treated gas may 30 the delivered msdesired. ,At its end [opposite .to

the qoutlet ithe i aspassagerhas an inlet 20 leadthe fan shown as an ordinary ventilating .fan driven, by a motor. 23,, which may have the usual speed control. The iannhamberfll is shown :as

having a first intake 12-4 Joy which air may .be .drawn from the same room :into which the .dis-

.charge delivers, thusafiording recirculation; and

there isshownasecondor exterior intake .25illustrated as ahent pipe .exten'dedthrough the window board l4 and having adamper 2,6 to regulate .the proportion or amounto'f utside air to 'be drawn in and forced through the treating apparatus. V

The outside air damper 26 may -beregulated :manually or automatically to vary the total amount of outside air, or the proportions of outside -air and recirculated inside air. There is shown a pulley *2 attached to the spindle of the damper and a cord28 which may be pulled to cause the wide opening of the damper. This is merely a diagrammatic illustration. 'The -:cord

:28 may be :arrangedito be' pulled under=the=a1itor and thence to the discharge outlet l8.

matic control of a carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide indicator, of well-known character, in such way that upon an excess of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide or both, the damper will be opened widely to increase the quantity or proportion of outside air admitted to the treating apparatus.

It is a feature of this invention to provide a partially immersed circular disk or screen 30 of pervious material such as wire mesh which is adapted to rotate in a plane transverse to the direction of the gas or air flow through it. Thus the rotary disk or screen member 30 is shown as; circular in outline. with preferably a plurality of pervious or reticulated transverse walls 3| and a closed periphery or rim 32-, the entire device being like a wheel having a hub 33 turning loosely on an axle 34 which is provided with collars 35 to position the disk. The axle 34 is mounted to extend in the same longitudinal direc tion as the gas flow'through the gas passage 11,

the disk thereby rotating in a transverse plane.

While the disk or screen 30 may be rotated or driven positively by any suitable connections, with variable drive speed, under suitable regulation, it is herein shown as being caused to rotate by reason ofthe flow of gas through it, the disk for this purpose being formed with vanes 31, preferably interior of its side walls 3|, reacting with'the air flow to rotate the disk; and the vanes as they pass belowthe surface of the watertend to cause a circulation of the water in a direction opposite to the advancing flow of gas.

While the'rotary disk 30 and its'ax'le"34 may be mounted in a fixed position, if means are provided to maintain the proper water level, a preferable arrangement is herein disclosed wherein the rotary disk is'bodily mounted on a pontoon 40 floating on the water surface, so that the entirety is movable and adjusts itself to the level of the water, thus insuring the proper immersion of the disk. The pontoon or float is shown as built up of the two'hollow side portions 40 with rigid connections from one to the other consisting of the axle 34 and a pair of lower braces 4|. Bridging over thetop of the disk are a pair of inclined braces 43 extending from the tops of the pontoon sides'to a transverse top piece 44, all part of the rigid structure of the pontoon. The liquid vessel I6 is quite deep so as to maintain a substantial volume of water, sufficient to last for a considerable period; and as the water is used up by evaporation the pontoon and its carried pervious disk may descend, thus preserving the proper relation of the parts.

To compel the advancing gas or air to traverse the pervious sides of the rotary disk the following supplemental arrangements are shown. The rim of the disk being circular, there is shown a curved vertical plate 46 extending downwardly below the transverse piece and substantially conforming to the curvature'of the disk, as best seen in Fig. 2. The closure is completed by a movable wall 48 bounding the top of the gas passage and having its far end pivotally connected as by a hinge 49 to a fixed part of the enclosure, the free or swinging end of the wall 43 having a l pivotal connection5il to the transverse piece 44.

By this arrangement the air forwarded by the fan 22 is compelled to flow under the wall 43 and thence through the pervious sides of the disk 3! The wall 48 may be rigid or flexible and its free end may be considered as resting upon and supported by the pontoon as the latter lowers and rises with changes of water level.

The action of the pervious disk or screen 33 is that as it rotates each portion of each transverse wall 3! enters the liquid, thus discharging any accumulated solids, and then rises above the liquid into the air passage, carrying with it small drops of water or wet surfaces which, as they rise come into a position occupying the gas passage, so that the gas or air has to force its way through the pervious sides and thus eifect intimate contact with the carried or suspended water or other liquid. The forced circulation of air thuscauses the washing of the air, and the other treatments mentioned, the rotation of the disk constantly refreshing and wetting the surface or mesh through which the gas or air flows for its treatment; at the same time any dust or solids carried in the air are caught and deposited on the disk, and thereupon are promptly brought down below the surface of the liquid and 're moved by the circulation of the liquid, such impurities gradually accumulating as sludge in the lower part of the vessel, to be removed either progressively by an underneath tap or at intervals by washing out of the entire apparatus.

In-order to give some regulation of theaction of the device I have diagrammatically indicated a control of the rotation of the disk, for example by stopping and releasing. the rotation according to conditions. Thus there is shown a wedge-like brake member 53 mounted on a lever 54 pivoted on an extension 55 of the cross piece 44, the upper end of the lever constituting an armature adapted to be pulled by an electromagnet 56 to apply the brake, while a spring 51 tends to restore the leverinto retracted position against a stop rod 58. A circuit 59 leads to a hygrostat 60 in circuit with a source 6| of electric power, operating in a well-known way so that when humidity becomes excessive a circuit will be closed, energize the magnet and'apply the brake, thus stopping the rotation of the disk and preventing the humidifying of the gas or air until conditions are restored and the brake is again released? The hygrostat may also control theaction by varying the speed of the regulable fan or by changing the adjustment of dampers. The described arrangement may be employed to reduce excess humidity, namely by chilling or refrigerating the contained water and thereby thepervious disk. By this the humid air passing through the disk andover the water will deposit moisture and thus gradually dehumidify the atmosphere, while the water level and pontoon rise.

There has thus been described a gas heating apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention; and since many matters of combination, arrangement and construction may be variously modified without departing from theprinciples, it is not intended to limit the invention to such matters except to the extent set forth in the appended claims. What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for treating air or other gases by flow into, through and from the gas passage, such= apparatus characterized by the combination with said elements of a partially immersed circular screen or disk of pervious construction, a pontoon floating in such vessel and upon which such screen is rotarily mounted and whichmaintains it in its partially immersed position with changes of liquid level, means for causing rotation of such screen so that each part of its surface is alternately dipped into the liquid and elevated to accupy the gas passage and compel the gas to fiow through it, and a movable wall closing the gas passage space above the rotary screen and adjustable with changes of level of the pontoon.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, and wherein the pontoon comprises spaced apart floats and frame members connecting them and supporting the rotary screen.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1, and wherein the pontoon carries a wall above and shaped to the disk and substantially meeting said movable wall.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1, and wherein the rotary screen comprises a plurality of pervious annular disks spaced apart.

5. Apparatus as in claim 1, and wherein the rotary screen turns in a longitudinal frame member of the pontoon as an axle.

6. Apparatus as in claim 1, and wherein the movable wall above the rotary screen is hinged at to rotate in a plane transverse to the direction of air flow through it, means operated by the air flow for causing rotation of such screen soth'at each part of its surface is alternately dipped into the water and elevated to occupy the air passage and compel the air to flow through it, means for regulating such rotation of the screen, and a hygrostat connected to operate the regulating means to restrict the action upon excess humid- 20 ity and vice versa.

CHARLES B. GRADY. 

